Mayor Kim Byungsoo: "A Catalyst for New Industry Advancement and Joint Growth... Implementation Strategy to Be Detailed"

by Lee jonggu

Published 27 Oct.2025 08:56(KST)

Gimpo City Proposes Urban Air Mobility Industry Cooperation Model with Institutions and Companies
Joint Participation with KTL at Seoul ADEX 2025
City Summarizes Achievements Based on Collaboration with Institutions and Companies
Presents Vision to Advance Implementation System Through Clear Role Division

Gimpo City in Gyeonggi Province has attracted attention by presenting a collaborative model that enhances the competitiveness of future transportation through partnerships with public institutions and companies.

Kim Byungsoo, Mayor of Gimpo (third from the right), participated jointly with the Korea Testing Laboratory (KTL) at the 2025 Seoul International Aerospace and Defense Industry Exhibition (Seoul ADEX), held at KINTEX from the 20th to the 24th. They are taking a commemorative photo at the 'Future City Gimpo, Season 2,' a cooperation model among local governments, public institutions, and companies. Provided by Gimpo City

According to Gimpo City (Mayor Kim Byungsoo) on the 27th, the city jointly participated with the Korea Testing Laboratory (KTL) at the 2025 Seoul International Aerospace and Defense Industry Exhibition (Seoul ADEX), held at KINTEX from the 20th to the 24th, where they introduced the local government-public institution-company cooperation model, "Future City Gimpo, Season 2."

Under the theme "Building the Future of Gimpo UAM Together," Gimpo City summarized the achievements of "Season 1"-including route safety, demand and operational conditions, and infrastructure suitability-verified through collaboration with KTL and a research project in 2024. Based on these results, the city presented a vision to further advance the implementation system by clearly defining the roles of local governments, public institutions, and companies.

In particular, the model is distinguished by its multi-layered structure, which has expanded to encompass various fields: administrative and policy support from Gimpo City; establishment of technical standards and testing and evaluation by KTL; technology development and on-site experience capabilities of local companies; and institutional collaboration based on previously signed business agreements with organizations such as Korea Airports Corporation and the Korea Aerospace Industries Association.

At this exhibition, Gimpo City showcased the achievements and progress of local companies-Wooryeon, Wooryeon Navigation Technology, Korea Times Aviation, and Aeropis-formed through the UAM networking company recruitment in March this year. The city also supported company representatives in directly promoting and consulting, thereby helping them discover practical business opportunities and expand their networks.

Additionally, during the exhibition, Gimpo City attended the G3AM (Global Association for Advanced Air Mobility) General Assembly-an international standardization body in advanced air mobility-joined by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and the Korea Aerospace Administration. The city focused on identifying global technology trends and expanding industry-academia-research collaboration networks.

Mayor Kim Byungsoo stated, "I hope this event will serve as an opportunity to advance urban air mobility, a future industry, while also driving the joint growth of companies. Following last year's inaugural UAM Industry Development Strategy Forum, we plan to co-host the event again with KTL this November to continue the direction set by this exhibition and further detail the implementation strategy for Season 2."

Meanwhile, Seoul ADEX is the largest aerospace and defense industry business exhibition in Korea, with more than 600 companies from 35 countries-including Korean Air, Hanwha, and Hyundai-participating. This year, the exhibition operated special pavilions on space and future aviation in line with industry trends, with a focus on highlighting related new technologies and market developments.